Tonight, at 9:51 pm (BST), Sonic booms have been heard across the Leeds and Doncaster areas of West Yorkshire. We have confirmation the booms were from RAF Typhoon jets. A Quick Reaction Alert to escort CityJet flight #AF1558 to Newcastle. ATC asked twice for a response as to why they had changed course, it took 7 minutes for…

A Russian MiG-31 jet flew within 50 feet of a U.S. surveillance aircraft in Northeast Asia last week, Moscow’s latest aerial saber-rattling against American ships and planes, according to defense officials. “On April 21, a U.S. Navy P-8 Maritime Patrol reconnaissance aircraft flying a routine mission in international airspace was intercepted by a MiG-31 Russian…

A Norwegian F-16 jet on a training exercise jet mistakenly machine-gunned a control tower with three officers inside, who survived unhurt, the military said on Sunday. Two F-16s were taking part in a mock attack on the uninhabited island of Tarva off Norway’s west coast when one of them opened fire with its M61 Vulcan cannon, which is capable of…

A US Air Force reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 jet in an “unsafe and unprofessional” manner while in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said. “The US aircraft was operating in international airspace and at no time crossed into Russian territory,” Laura Seal, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said of Thursday’s incident.…

Russian Su-24 jets buzz USS Donald Cook. The planes made 20 passes of the US Navy ship, according to officials, passing within 1,000 yards at an altitude of just 100ft. The American ship had just left the Polish port of Gdynia and was in the Baltic Sea about 70 nautical miles off Kaliningrad.

Russian forces have started leaving Syria after Monday’s surprise withdrawal announcement by President Vladimir Putin. Russian defence ministry video showed the first group of aircraft taking off from Hmeimim air base in Syria on Tuesday morning and later in flight. But Russia will continue air strikes, and keep several hundred personnel and air defence systems,…

American B-52 bombers are “ready and able” to strike ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, a top Air Force official confirmed Monday. The air campaign against ISIS is “taking a toll on our aircraft, our readiness and our airmen” but the “venerable B-52 … remains ready and able to meet combatant commander requirements,” Secretary of…